The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-01-08


| tell liesn
Sereny looked up at him in surprise.
''Hit dom SCUM like Mote Barnes,n she
said reproachfully, 'to be a-runnin' down
o. folks, and them out of hearin'."
He Redeemed, and then was silent. Sereny
watched him with vague uneasiness in her
wide gray eyes, all her gayety ebbing fast.
"You amt got no call to get your feet
| froZe in the snow, an big fire a-wastin'
| itself in the Settin -room,n she said pres
| emily
81 amt got time to STOP" he replied. n
| jes' tho't you might want to know bout
Rickettses' play-party me an Jack Martins
| gittin' up fur tonight. | got to hurry home
and was bout two hours gittin' up Bour-
| bon; the plegged critters so uncommon
peart of cold day.r
| This in the vague and utterly unreason-
| able hope that she might understand with
| out further explanation.
"Gittin' up Bourbonl" exclaimed Sereny
''you amt never goin' to ride to the play
| partys"
"'Tain't me-" then with an effort, 81 low
| to take school-mistis."
'School-mistis !" and the girls face lost
all its pretty color as she spoke; then her
| maidenly pride coming to the rescue, she
| laughed with affected lightness. "She mus
| be powerful puny eff she amt able to walk
down to Rickettses."
Quick as she was to recover herself he
had seen her disappointment, and the sight
of it hurt him more keenly than physical
| pain. He felt that he could not be trusted
not to commit himself in some way to Sc
reny if he staid longer, so he stammered
| out something about her "gittin' her feet
frost-bit," and left her, feeling as remorse-
| ful and wretched as it is possible for q man
| to feel whose heart is still throbbing with
the first sensations of a new and absorbing
| love-
The play-party was great success, and
the teacher, TO whom the novelty Of her
situation gave great enjoyment, sat and
| watched the quaint and ever-varying plays
with amused interest, while her companion
gravely initiated her by careful explanation
into the mysteries of ''Loly' and 'Yoodle-
loo" Having declined participation on the
plea of ignorance, she found herself with
| the prospect of an evening of tete-a-tete
with Mote, who refused to play without
her, and whose undisguised admiration she
| saw with much alarm.
"Who is that young lady at the headl"
she asked, presently, having three times, in
obedience to an instinct which told her she
was observed, raised her eyes to find Sc
reny's fixed upon her.
"Which-in the blue? O, that er's Sc
reny, Bill Tharp's girl" replied Mote, in
guilty confusion.
Show very pretty she is" continued Miss
Hildreth; ''such strange pathetic eyes!"
The last part of the sentence was in
tended for solloquy, but Mote, fearing that
the term pathetic conveyed reproach,
fastened to say:
"Sereny do have funny look out of her
eyes onct in while; but she amt noways
Eighty. Eff she's simple, I'd like to see the
girl on this here Ridge what amt plum
fool" which having said he felt that in
some measure he had atoned.
The school-mistress resolved to find out
the meaning of this strange interest in
herself. She excused herself to Mote, in
tending to seat herself by Sereny, and make
use of the privilege of assuming acquaint-
anceship, which is common to the teacher
and the preacher. But before she could
accomplish her design she noticed change
in Sereny that gave her a glimpse of the
truth. Mote had risen, too, and was max
ing his way across the room, with the evil
dent object of selecting a partner for
needles Eye" Sereny's eyes followed
him furitively, and her color changed con-
stantly, while the locket on her bosom rose
and fell with irregular frequency. Mote
elbOwed his way to where she sat on the
pine plank supported by blocks, and as the
words ''Be my partner, Sereny," fell from
his lips, Miss Hildreth noticed that the girl
rose silently, with downcast eyes, while all
the anxiety faded from her face. At this
moment her own name, pronounced by
ono bn1,ir1 bo, chit
'Sereny amt no han to hide. How cut
up she is. | reckon she lowed nobody
couldn't git him away from them big eyes.
1t don't take no specs to see how hard she's
a-takin' it bout them a-sparkin' | low It
amt goin' to change Mote none noways.
When he gifts sot on any thing you might as
well try to move 'Squar' Deans ole mule;
an sot he is on marryin' school-mistis. He
was carryin' on high up to the singin' bout
her being such lady an all, tell the boys
plegged him tell he quit
Miss Hildreth stood with burning checks,
feeling of distress and almost humiliation
so strong upon her that she could not move.
That any one should speak so of her! In
voluntarily her eyes sought the ring on her
finger and she laid her hand over it tend
erly. ''John!" she murmured, and her
tone was as of one who sought forgiveness.
With sudden fear. lest some one else had
overheard the speakers loud condolences,
she glanced upward and met Sereny's eyes.
She had not known the girl was so near,
but glance at her face showed that she
had caught every word. Miss Hildreth
felt that her own wound was as nothing in
comparison with the humiliation which Sc
| reny knew not how to hide. A great yearn-
ing to comfort the girl came over her.
Sereny had suddenly found herself tired
and left the game. Mote took his place by
Miss Hildreth's side, and began with care
full cunning to lay plans for possessing him
self of her rings.
Chem rings look awful WELL" he said,
surveying them with an expression Of in
nocent admiration.
''This one" the teacher answered, touch
ing an old-fashioned setting Of rubics, ''be-
longed to my grandmother when she was
girl; L always thought it very pretty, and
the other is my" She blushed and
stopped.
80, reckon you needn't go no further;
1 low It you ought to say engagement ring"
"You are right" she answered. 81 don't
want it publicly known, but think can
trust you with my secret"
"You joke awful serious-like," he said,
uneasily. "You amt never goin' to marry
sure enough9"
eyes, l am" she answered, lowering her